A bowl-shaped vessel used for grinding substances with a pestle, or a building material made of lime, cement, and sand mixed with water. Also refers to a short-barreled artillery weapon.
From Latin 'mortarium' meaning 'vessel for pounding.' The building material sense developed because early mortars were mixed by pounding, while the weapon was named for its resembling a mortar bowl turned upside down.
The three meanings of mortar all share the concept of containing and combining materials under pressure - whether grinding spices, binding bricks, or launching explosive shells. This semantic unity shows how practical tools often inspire military applications through metaphorical thinking.
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